


Happy Is The Bride That The Sun Shines On

by Anonymous



Series: Elia Martell Fics [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Rhaegar Won, Canon Character of Color, Canon Disabled Character, Elia Martell Lives, Elia Martell- Centric, F/M, Infidelity, POV Elia Martell, Queen Elia Martell, Rhaegar Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 19:54:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15713997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Rhaegar won the Battle of the Trident and convened a great council with the remaining rebel leaders and his allies. He returned to King's Landing with his second wife and an army large enough that Tywin Lannister knelt in front of the Dragon Gate.





	Happy Is The Bride That The Sun Shines On

**Author's Note:**

> I love Elia and I always wondered what she would do in this scenario. English is not my first language and I have no beta.

Elia knew all of this only because of Ser Jaime, who came to her room after he and Aerys' Hand had locked the king somewhere. She held her children for several long moments before she asked the knight to brush her hair. Her hands were still too sore to grasp the handle of a brush properly. Jaime did poorly, he cut through knots roughly and the braid he fashioned her hair into was already unfurling. Elia barely cared. She washed dust from her daughter's face and breastfed her son. By now Rhaegar was half way through the city. The shouts from the smallfolk did little to calm her nerves. If they loved Rhaegar, then they cared little for her and her misfortunes.

"A dress. Pick my husband's colours," Elia said struggling to get Aegon to wear his clothes. "For Rhaenys too. Aegon doesn't need it. He looks Targaryen."

Jaime sifted through her clothes without any care and picked a dress that would do little to hide the fat on her stomach. He was more careful with Rhaenys' dress. Rhaenys was dressed before Aegon who was wiggling and crying. Elia had to remind herself that her son was still very young to stop herself from snapping or crumbling into tears. 

Finally, they could leave though Elia was disheartened she had none of her jewels with her. Elia carried Aegon on a sling by her bosom and held Rhaenys’ hand. She leaned heavily on Jaime, even as she used her cane. The weakness since she was imprisoned in Maegor's Holdfast was worse than the one that followed Aegon's birth but Elia had to receive Rhaegar in the Red Keep for her children's sake. The sun was out for the first time all week. Elia tried to take strength from that.

The journey to the Red Keep was slow and rather painful. Rhaenys was so curious about everything and would try to run after animals. More than once Jaime had to go after her and more than once he had to remove a rat or a stray kitten from her hands. Soon both children were crying and fidgeting wildly. Elia cursed her knee for dislocating when it did though it was partly her fault for running down the staircase so carelessly. 

"Sweetling, please. I'll give a large bowl of honey, just for you."

Rhaenys looked up, her eyes were reddening and there was snot covering her mouth. "Mine," she said.

"Only yours," Elia said. She used a handkerchief to wipe the tears and mucus away. 

Her sweet daughter quietened down and remained by her side. Aegon exhausted himself and was dozing when they finally entered the Red Keep. There were Lannister men crawling everywhere. Jaime had taken to walking in front of Elia, forcing them to part for her. She could hear whispers and snickers up and down the corridors. It mattered little, she told herself but it was a lie so weak that she almost cringed. Rhaegar brought a healthy Northern girl to the city and here she was struggling to walk. Rhaenys was staring unabashedly at the men and more than once, she grabbed at trousers and low hanging swords, cooing the whole time.

A servant, a small girl who looked vaguely familiar, ran to Elia when she saw her and took her by the arm.

"Do you have word of my ladies?" Elia asked her in a soft voice.

The girl shook her head. "No, your Grace. King Rhaegar just entered the throne room, I heard."

Elia nodded and pressed on. Her knee was flaring sharply with each step and she was sweating. She used the clean side of the handkerchief to wipe her face and neck. The throne room felt miles and hours away until finally she entered through one of the doors and found men milling about listlessly. Rhaegar was not even on the throne yet. There were cloaks embroidered with sigils she knew but most had removed their armors and cloaks. She had to guess who they were as she walked past them, offering simple greetings for those who were ambiguous and marginally longer salutations for those she recognised.

Tywin Lannister saw her first out of all the great lords and he bowed slightly. "Your Grace," he said grimly. There was a little amusement in his eyes. Beside him was Lyanna Stark heavy with child, her hand on the crook of Eddard Stark’s arm.

Elia stopped walking. A figure came to her side suddenly. "Elia."

Her uncle Lewyn still had his armor on. He had a gash on his face that disappeared into hair and a finger missed from the hand that gently touched hers.

"Have you seen her?" He asked in a low voice.

"In the Black Cells with my other ladies," Elia answered. She kept the bitterness from her voice. Always the concern was for paramours and never her. She had limped into the room and was barely acknowledged but she had a duty to her ladies. They braced Aerys' fits with her, fed her children and hid them each time Elia thought Aerys would send killers. "Remove them all. They've committed no crime."

Her uncle nodded solemnly and went to Rhaegar, who Elia was surprised to find was watching them, standing tall in the middle of large attentive circle of lords and knights. They talked in the same low voice. A part of Elia wondered how fast she could move to strike Rhaegar before someone stopped her when Rhaegar shook his head. She would go to the dungeons herself then, if it came to that. It's been a long time since she relied on someone else for help with the exception of the boy knight. Then Lewyn left with several men without a look back at her. 

Rhaegar moved towards her in measure steps. Elia could only mustered a half smile that died when he peered at her cane curiously. 

"Elia," he said before kissing her brow and looking gently down on their son. "You should be resting. I would have come to you."

"I am well rested, your Grace," Elia said. "Rhaenys wanted to see you."

Rhaenys was sucking her thumb, staring hungrily at everyone. Rhaegar took her daughter's hand and she went to him quietly. He carried on her arms and tried to catch her eyes but Rhaenys was more concerned with the view that went further up than even Jaime.

"Rhaenys," Elia called and her daughter looked at her immediately. Elia felt a vicious amount of joy at that. "It's your father, sweetling."

"Father," Rhaenys repeated still looking at Elia. 

Rhaegar kissed her cheek. "You're so much bigger than I remember," he said with no small amount of affection. It made Elia sick.

"Honey," Rhaenys told him. "Big honey. Bowls."

Elia gave her cane to the girl servant when she remembered her and removed Aegon from his sling.

"What happened to your hand?" Lyanna Stark asked suddenly and loudly.

Elia blinked. "I displeased King Aerys," she answered in as neutral a voice as she could. The room, which had gone silent, came alive with murmurs.

"And your leg?" The girl asked. Eddard Stark elbowed her lightly, an uncomfortable look on his face.

"It dislocated. I was moving too fast."

"Why?" Lyanna asked. Elia was beginning to doubt her own memory of when Lyarra Stark died. Surely if she had lived past Lyanna's infancy, she would have taught her daughter better.

"King Aerys was burning a boy alive. I was trying to stop him," Elia replied. 

"That was brave of you," the girl said. Her brother coughed. "Will we be sharing rooms?"

"No," Elia said sharply without thinking. Before she could add anything, she saw the Dornish retinue she had brought to Dragonstone, who ultimately were more taken with Rhaegar than her. They bowed deeper than Tywin Lannister did. Elia focused her attention entirely on them instead of the odd young bride Rhaegar loved.

"Prince Doran is eager to hear of your welfare," said Dagos Manwoody judging from his hair. Elia wondered briefly if he knew her father.

"You need my seal," she guessed. "I don't have it. Aerys destroyed it."

"What else is destroyed?" Tywin asked, a touch more smug.

"Rooms. He never slept in one place for longer than week and would often tear them apart looking for spies and assassins."

The murmuring started again. Elia was probably imagining it, wishful thinking was always a weakness of hers, but it seemed like the indifference towards her was melting away. Rhaegar looked displeased, at what Elia didn't know but she did not like it anyway.

"Honey," Rhaenys said impatiently.

"Just a while longer, sweetling." To the Dornish men, Elia said, “Ask my uncle to write the letter. Doran knows his handwriting well." Doran also knew Elia had been alone in King's Landing with no ally. He'll wait for a letter from her before believing Lewyn’s. Her uncle was a Martell but he had no love for politics.

Rhaegar kissed Rhaenys again before setting her down. "My lady wives should rest while we finish this unfortunate business."

All eyes were on her when Rhaegar said wives. Tywin inclined his head and broke away from the group to the table set up for a small council, Jaime trailing behind him. Elia burned on the inside, being dismissed while the Lannisters who have done nothing for Rhaegar were given a seat. It was not yet clear what Rhaegar thought about her or what he was planning. They call Elia queen but Lyanna was brought into the city a free woman with an escort of three Kingsguards and the Northern army. She could not assert her rights as Queen just yet or maybe ever. For all Elia knew, she was being set aside for a younger woman. With her ladies either dead, banished or imprisoned, there was little that she could do apart from finding a good apartment, making plans and figuring out how to talk to her brothers.

"As my King commands," Elia said feigning a beatific expression. Lyanna performed a poor curtsey before shuffling out with her brother in tow. Rhaegar smiled benignly at the sight. Elia fixated on taking back her cane and giving the girl Aegon to hold, otherwise she might have cried.

"I told you," Rhaegar whispered suddenly. "I made things right. You didn't believe me."

Elia bit the inside of her cheek momentarily. "You did, your Grace. What do you plan now?"

Rhaegar shook his head. "We'll speak later. For now help Lyanna settle in a room near my mother's gardens. She can't stand the city's stenches."

"And where will your mother sleep?" Elia gritted out. Those gardens were the only place Rhaella and her had as Aerys' madness took over the castle.

"You're the lady of the castle, Elia. You decide."

No, Elia almost said, I'm not a lady. I am a Princess. Instead, she limped out. In the distance, Eddard was helping his sister up some stairs.

**Author's Note:**

> While I love 'Elia gets revenge' AUs, I think it's rather unrealistic. Dornishwomen are not regarded well by the rest of the continent. Tell me what you think.


End file.
